Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3A
Baldwin officials split on water issue
BY SHARON HOGAN
In a 4-1 vote at Tuesday’s, May 27,
meeting, the Baldwin City Council
agreed to not sign a document that
would re-locate the city into the
Savannah Basin water region.
The council had tabled this mat
ter at the council meeting held on
Monday, May 12.
Habersham County authorities
were seeking to have all the munici
palities located in the county sign a
petition seeking to have the county
relocated into the Savannah region.
Baldwin city attorney David Syfan
said, “Ya’ll asked me to check
with the Environmental Protection
Division (EPD) to see if this would
have any affect on your current
withdrawal permit. I talked with
Clay Burdette, EPD, on this and he
said it would not have any affect on
your current permit, but your current
permit is only good for 10 years.”
Syfan said the city has 4-5 more
years until it will be time to renew
the permit.
“In the perfect world, it wouldn’t
matter which water planning region
you were in because it’d be based
on your need for water,” Syfan said.
“But the river that you get water out
of is in the Catoosa water region,.
If you move to the Savannah, you
wouldn’t have a representative on
the water planning board for the
river where you get your water.
Burdette said you may want to think
about that. If you want to increase
your permit, you’re not going to
have a representative. You’re rely
ing on that board’s good will if you
move out of the region. A written
response would take a while to move
through the channels. I think he was
saying in a nice way that you should
be cautious and think about it. Right
now, you’re definitely getting water
from the river and anything else is
a maybe so you need to protect that
right to withdraw from the river.”
Syfan said Burdette also men
tioned that to get an increase the
EPD would require the city to build
a reservoir.
“It won’t affect your current per
mit, so you’re only talking about
your future,” he said.
Council member Robert Bohannon
said, “If we don’t pass this, what
affect does it have on the county?”
Syfan said , “I don’t know if all the
cities have to join in. I think it would
be significant to the EPD if you and
Demorest didn’t join in. The two of
you together would be the majority
of the water users in the county.”
Acting Mayor Ray Holcomb said,
“It was my understanding at the
meeting that all the cities had to sign
it or it wouldn’t be done.”
Syfan said, “I’m urging you to be
cautious because the river is where
you get your water. To increase your
current permit, you have to build
a reservoir. I didn’t get a feeling
from him (Burdette) that he thought
your renewal application would be
denied because you moved into the
other planning district. He thought
it would affect your ability for a
greater withdrawal permit. If you
think that through the county is the
only way you’re going to get future
water, then you can take a calculated
risk.”
Council member Jeff Murray said,
“My personal opinion is it is too big
of a risk. I make a motion we stay
where we are at.” Council mem
ber Beverly Holcomb seconded this
motion.
Bohannon said, “I don’t want to
jeopardize our chances of getting
more water.”
Ray Holcomb said, “We’re setting
ourselves up to be the black sheep of
the county.” He voted in opposition
to the motion by Murray.
Arraignment postponed in vehicular homicide case
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The arraignment for a 19-year-
old Banks County man indicted for
vehicular homicide in the 2007 death
of a Banks County High School
senior has been postponed.
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Rick Bridgeman said
Monday that Chase Poole’s defense
attorney reported to the judge he
was in court in another county and
would be unable to attend the sched-
uled Thursday arraignment. The
arraignment has been rescheduled
for Monday, June 9, Bridgeman
said.
Poole, of 321 Borders Road,
Commerce, was also a BCHS stu
dent at the time of the accident
in which Ashley Blevins died. In
addition to Blevins’ death, Poole
was injured in the accident along
with another passenger and BCHS
student, Trace Lamfier.
Blevins was reportedly eject
ed from the vehicle after Poole
attempted to overcorrect and lost
control. The Georgia State Patrol
handled the investigation into the
incident.
Poole was indicted on vehicular
homicide in the first degree, which
carries a maximum sentence of three
to 15 years as well as reckless driv
ing which could carry a maximum
sentence of 12 months.
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Contact Angie Gary, editor
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706-367-2490 or e-mail information
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MEETING SCHEDULE FOR BUDGET ADOPTION 2008/2009
The City of Lula will hold three Public Hearings in the month of June pertaining to consideration of the
adoption of the 2008/2009 General Fund Fiscal Year Budget and the establishment of the rollback of milage
rate please mark your calendar for the following dates and times:
Public Hearing-
Date
Time
Location
1.
June 9, 2008
5:45 P.M.*
City Hall
2.
June 10, 2008
10:00 A.M.
City Hall
3.
June 10, 2008
3:00 P.M.**
City Hall
The City of Lula General Fund Fiscal Year 2008/09
Revenue $629,454.00
Expenditures
General Government $481,454.00
Street and Sanitation $148,000.00
Debt Service $ 0
Total Expenditures $629,454.00
Providing for the consideration and adoption of a balanced General Fund Budget as prescribed by State
Law. The proposed budget is based upon estimates related to revenues for both local option sales tax and
special local option sales tax and can be amended as they relate to actual collections, consequently
expenditures likely would reflect any change in collections.
The establishment of a consideration of this next year’s milage collected rate would reflect a
rollback equal to an amount surpassing resulting in a reduction of mill to zero or no property tax
under the current proposed conservative budget.
* Followed by the regular scheduled work session of the City Council.
** Followed by the regular scheduled monthly meeting of the City Council resulting in consideration for adoption the stated
balanced budget.
NOTE: The City will also give consideration for the adoption of the Enterprise Fund Budget for Water and Sewer, available
for review at City Hall.
State representative speaks to CVB members
BY SHARON HOGAN
Banks County Convention and
Visitors Bureau members heard
from State Representative Jeanette
Jamieson at the monthly meeting on
Wednesday, May 28, at Denny’s at
Banks Crossing.
Jamieson discussed several issues
that came up during the last legisla
tive session, including the statewide
comprehensive water plan. She said
the plan has no safeguards against
interfacing water transfers. She
added that if the metro area region
picks up Banks County, they would
then be able to get in the Savannah
Basin Water Region.
Jamieson said Banks County has
recently been awarded $5 million
in federal funds to spend on infra
structure. Banks County Board of
Commission Chairman Gene Hart
said the county is seeking $2 mil
lion of the $5 million total to be
spent to run sewer lines from the
Martin Bridge Road area to the
county’s sewer facility behind the
Atlanta Dragway.
On another issue, Jamieson said
the legislature passed a bill that
allows married couples to have
$70,000 in investments, $35,000
each, plus Social Security benefits
before any Georgia income tax is
paid.
Jamieson also discussed the bill
that was passed that allows a per
son to pay $3 to freeze their cred
it report. This service is free to
Georgia residents over the age of
65.
Jamieson announced that fund
ing is available for a new Banks
County Department of Family and
Children Services building to be
built in Homer. The site for the
new building will be on Thompson
Street near the Banks County
Health Department. Jamieson told
Hart and the others in attendance
that if needed a State Department
of Corrections crew is available to
work on this building.
Jamieson said, “I am a strong sup
porter of this. If you want to see the
work they do, just look at the city
hall building in downtown Homer.”
Jamieson said $11.9 billion of
the state budget was spent on edu
cation this year. There is a new
educational process that the state
is working on that will address the
drop out rate and career academies,
Jamieson said.
Jamieson also said her newest
challenge is talking with Congress
about the legislation of the 1970s
that put a limit on the amount big
oil companies could make on a bar
rel of oil. Jamieson said currently
three cents of the motor fuel tax
goes to the Georgia Department of
Transportation and they are seeking
to have an additional one cent of
this tax go to the DOT.
REPUBLICAN
Sleet
Milton L.
DALTON
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